Pipeline vent cap and arrangement



March 4, 1958- N w. v. PORTER 2,825,275

' PIPELINE VENT CAP AND ARRANGEIVIENT` Filed oct. 25, 195e MWW @NNN/@reak iVV//a/f M /Do/*fer INVENToR.

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United States Patent PIPELINE' VENT CAP AND ARRANGEMENT William V. Porter, San Antonio, Tex., assigner to The Porter Company, a division of' Houston Porcelain Enameling'Company, a corporation of Texas Application October Z5, 1956,.Serial No. 618,315

ZClaims.. (Cl. 9S'-122) TheY present invention relates` to a vent capv construe tion; and more particularly' to al ventV cap adapted to" be used in.- connectionvwith transmissionflines Whichconvey oil, gas and the. like.

'lfransmissioni` linesy for conducting oil, gasf or: other substances crossr underneath"- roadsat. intervals throughy out their length.v

rloinhibit damage to the pipeline due to passage of' vehicles: on the road over-the pipeline, and: to reduce the possibility'of` explosionorxiire in thepipeline under.

the roadway, and: to provide, inv general, a safe4 arrange ment for protecting the.I pipe; where it crosses the' roads way, it is customary to enclose. the pipeline in a larger casing, which: casing surrounds thepipeline and exten-ds.' along the pipeline for the full` width of the road' andv asuitable distance on eachv sideA thereof.

It is also desirable to vent. they annular spacebetween.

the pipeline andV the surroundingI casing. to the-open. air.

so as to avoid the collection of any gaseous mixture inJ the annulus between; the pipeline'and. the casing which surrounds it that mightencourage. combustion or an; ex'- plosion.

in the ventv pipe and, thereby. close ofi or reduce.L the-ef# fectiveness. on thel ventingf arrangement; betweeny the. atmosp-hereand. thev annular; space; Additionally,4 the. de-

vices presently infusezarernot. readily: adaptable to various size vent pipes and'. it is: therefore; necessary. to'. fabricate.

on custom-make each vent pipeffor; the pipeline.l It' can. bev appreciated. that, wheres. the pipelines crosses.'v roads` numerous times. through-entf its; length,. the attendantrerr-I f penditure, andv loss of; tinte;V in; providing" vent pipes.: fortheppelinesiislvery'great..

The; present invention; provides auvent' cap. arrangement; for. venting the annular: space aroundf'at pipeline.. whereV it. passes beneatlr afroadwayiwhichventi cap-overaA nemesi the.'v obiectionsof; those heretoforeused.

Still another object of the invention is toiprovid'efla venti cap construction, including bracket means. whereby the vent cap maybe quickly and'peasily littedl to any size vent pipe. f

Still another object of the presentinvention isftoiprof vide a vent'cap construction including a cylinder open at one end, and a bracket engaged with the vent cap and including seating arrangements thereon for resting on top of the vent pipe to support the vent cap thereon and for removably positioning a screen over the open end of a cylinder for inhibiting the entry of animals and birds thereinto.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a vent cap including a screen which is removably positioned thereon, there being means for retaining the screen c IC@ in'4 position during use, but which permit easy and'4 ready removal of the screen for cleaning thereof, and a bracketv for securing the vent cap in position on a vent pipe.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will becomemore readily apparent from a consideration ofthe following description Vand drawings wherein:

Fig. l is a quarter-sectionalview illustrating the detailsl of construction of the present invention;

Fig. 2 isra sectional view on the line 2 2 of Fig. lf

showing'the arrangement' of the bracket meansandv itsrelationship tothe vent cap and the Vent pipe;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the screen or foraminated fabric in position on the open endof the ventv cap and the bracket means at circumferentially spaced intervals on the vent cap; and

Fig; 4 is an elevational view showing the vent cap of the* present invention positioned on a vent pipe.

Attention is directed to Fig. l4 of the drawings whereinthe invention is illustrated generally by the numeral 21 The venting arrangement is particularly adapted for usev with transmission lines which convey oil, gas other material therethrough, and, ofcourse, it may be used inother situations if desired. It will be noted that the tubular member 3 extendsy upwardly from the ground as illustrated in Figs. l and 4 of the drawings which tubular member is adapted to be secured at its lower end to thev casing' whichv surrounds the pipeline whereby it communicates theannular space between such casing and thev pipeline passing therethrough to the atmosphere.

A cap 4 is provided, whichcap may be in the cylindri-A cal form asillustrated in the drawings, with the open end 5 andV including the closed end` or top 6 with the sides 7. depending therefrom'. of' suitable size sov that when it is positioned over the upperl end 8 of thev tubular member-3, the sides 7 will be radially spacedy from the member 3 as shown in Fig; l

of the drawings so that a relativelylarge opening area9 is provided forv the venting of thefannular space between thel pipeline. andthe casing tothe atmosphere.

It is, of course, desirable to provide a construction an'd5V arrangement which is sturdy and will withstandthe weather over. an extended period of time, and, if desired,A the. capv may be coated with suitable substance such as porcelain: enamel to combat the deleterious effects of*l Weather-whicl1..would normally occur on a common metalT cap..

Additionally,.it is desirable to provide a construction andkv arrangement which can be readily assembled and positioned on the tubular member 3. To aid in accomplishing this result,I a bracket means indicatedl gen-*- erally bythe numeral 1.1 isprovided whereby the cap may' be'supportedover the. upper end 3 of the tubular member; 3. The bracket means 11 spans the distance be-4 tweerr the'v sides 7 of the ca'p 4 andthe tubular member S-and'may begse'cured by any suitable means such` as weld- 122 or the like to the inside surface 13 of theV side Tof? capf4. The. brackets 11i may be arranged at desirable circumferentially spaced.' points about the cap 4` as ill lustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawing, and' while three brackets. 11- are: illustrated in the drawings, any suitable numbergmay'berused toraccomplish the desired results.

The bracket means 11 includes the vertically arranged arm 15 and a portion 16 downwardly extending relative to arm 15. The arm 15 and portion 15 may be integrally formed, or may be secured together at their juncture by any suitable means such as welds or the like. The arm 15 extends beyond the depending portion 16 so as to form a seat 17 at the innermost edge of bracket 11 whereby the cap 4 may be supported on the upper end 8 of the tubular member 3.

It is to be noted that a second seat 18 is formed at It is desirable that the capbey 3 the outermost edge of the bracket 11,` which seat is formed by the undercut or groove 19 in the vertical arm 15 of the bracket 11 and is adapted to receive the split retainer ring Ztl therein. The split retainer ring 20 provides a support surface or shoulder for supporting the forarninated fabric 21, which may be in the form of metal screen, or positioning the metal screen 21 over the open end 5 of the cap 4. To aid in maintaining the foraminated fabric 2l in position, a second split ring retainer 22 is provided which abuis against the foraminated fabric on the side opposite from the retainer ring 20 and engages the foraminated fabric 21 between the retainer rings 20 and 22. A plurality of circumferentiallyspaced projections 23 are provided on the lower edge 24 of the wall 7 which engage the split ring 22 to maintain it in position.

The downwardly depending portions 16 `of the bracket 11 are adapted to fit about the tubular member 3 as illustrated at 2,5 in Fig. l of the drawings and it provides a surface which may be secured to the tubular member 3 by any suitable means such as screws 26. If desired, the screws 26 may be eliminated and the portion 16 welded to the member 3.

It can be readily appreciated that the length of the arm 15 of the bracket 11 may be changed so as to adapt the present invention on a tubular member 3 of any suitable diameter. When the diameter of the member 3 ,issmallen then the length of the arm 15 of the bracket 11 will be greater so as to span the increased distance between the wall 7 of the cap 4 and the tubular member 3. Similarly, when the tubular member 3 `is larger, the portion 15 of the bracket 11 is made shorter so as to accommodate the larger diameter tubular member 3.

In assembling the present invention, the brackets 11 may each be secured adjacent the outermost edge of the arm 15 by suitable means such as welds to the inner wall 13 of the cap 4. The split in retainer ring 20 allows such ring to be deformed so that it may be positioned in the seat 18.` The inherent resiliency of such ring causes it to assume its normal shape when positioned in seat 18 so that the foraminated fabric 21 such as metal screen may be seated thereon. The retainer ring 22 is then deformed and inserted in position in like manner so as to engage it beneath the projections 23. The rings and 22 are thereby each held in place and the metal screen is held in place between the rings. Of course, the metal screen 21 is provided with suitable openings as illustrated at whereby the downwardly depending portions 16 of each bracket 11 may' extend therethrough for engagement with the upper end of the tubular member 3, It is to be noted that the bracket means 11 is recessed within the cap 4 relative to the lower edge 24 thereof so that the cap 4 is supported over the tubular member 3 in a telescoped relationship. That is, the lower end or lower edge 24 of the cap extends below the upper end 8 of the tubular member 3. This aids in inhibiting the entry of water to the vent pipe 3 from a blowing rain or other` similar weather disturbance. Also, the screen 21 prevents the entry of animals such as may be encountered like birds, armadillos, rodents, etc., which may attempt to otherwise enter the vent pipe 3 or might otherwise build their nests within the pipe 3 and thereby clog the vent pipe or reduce its effectiveness. It should be noted that the present invention provides a construction wherein the metal screen 21 may be easily removed from its position in the vent cap for cleaning thereof if desired.

Additionally, a bracket 31 may be provided on the top 6 of the vent cap for receiving a suitable sign or advertising media as illustrated at 32.

Broadly the invention relates to a vent cap construction and arrangement which may be quickly and easily assembled and placed in operation and disassembled for clean ing if desired.

tit/'hat is claimed is:

l. A venting arrangement for oil and gas pipe lines comprising a tubular member extending upwardly from the ground in which the pipe line is buried, a hollow cap over the upper end of said tubular member, said cap including a top and sides depending therefrom, said sides being radially spaced from said tubular member and terminating at a point below the upper end of said tubular member, bracket means secured to said cap at circumferentially spaced points and spanning between said cap and the upper end of said tubular member and forming a seat at the innermost end to support said cap over the upper end of said tubular member, said bracket means including a downward projection for fitting about the upper end ot' said tubular member whereby said bracket and tubular member may be secured together for holding the cap thereon, there being a cutaway portion adjacent the outermost end of each of said bracket means which in coop eration with the inner surface of said cap forms a seat, a retainer ring positioned in said last mentioned scat, a foraminated fabric covering the end of said cap adjacent the upper end of said tubular member and resting on said retainer ring,` and a second retainer ring on said foraminated fabric and in opposed relation to said first mentioned retainer ring, said cap sides having circumferential portions extending up into said cap to engage said second retainer ring to hold it in position.

2. A venting arrangement for oil and gas pipe lines comprising a tubular member extending upwardly from the ground in which the pipe line is buried, a cylindrical cap open at only one end and telescopically positioned over the upper end of said tubular member with the open end of said cap facing downward, said cap being larger in diameter than the pipe whereby said cap is radially spaced from said tubular member, bracket means circumferentially positioned inside of said cap and spanning between said cap and tubular member, said bracket means including a seat at the innermost end thereof for supporting said cap over the upper end of said tubular member whereby said cap extends below the upper end of said tubular member, a second seat on said bracket means at the outermost end adjacent said cap, a retainer ring seated in said second seat, a metal screen on said ring and covering the open end of said cap, a second retainer ring abutting said screen and holding it between said two retainer rings, circumferential projections on said cap engaging said second retainer ring to hold it in position, said bracket means including depending portions extending down t-hrough said screen for tting about said tubular member, and means engaging said depending portions and tubular member together.

2,210,996 Woods Aug. 13, 1940 

